FOPULUS HETEROPHYLLA, L. 33 



Populus heterophylla, L. 

 POPLAR. SWAMP POPLAR. COTTONWOOD. 



Habitat and Range. In or along swamps occasionally or 

 often overflowed ; rare, local, and erratically distributed. 



Connecticut, frequent in the southern sections ; fiozrah 

 (J. N. Bishop) ; Guilford, in at least three wood-ponds 

 (W. K. Dudley in lit.), New Haven, and near Norwich 

 (W. A. Setchell). 



Following the eastern coast in wide belts from New York (Staten 

 island and Long island) south to Georgia; west along the Gulf 

 coast to western Louisiana, and northward along the Mississippi and 

 Ohio basins to Arkansas, Indiana, and Illinois. 



Habit. A slender, medium-sized tree, attaining a height of 

 30-50 feet, reaching farther south a maximum of 90 feet; 

 trunk 9-18 inches in diameter, usually branching high up, 

 forming a rather open hemispherical or narrow-oblong head ; 

 branches irregular, short, rising, except the lower, at a sharp 

 angle ; branchlets stout, roundish, varying in color, degree of 

 pubescence, and glossiness, becoming rough after the first 

 year with the raised leaf-scars ; spray sparse. 



Bark. Bark of trunk dark ash-gray, very rough, and 

 broken into loosely attached narrow plates in old trees ; in 

 young trees light ash-gray, smooth at first, becoming in a few 

 years roughish, low-ridged. 



Winter Buds and Leaves. Buds conical, acute, more or 

 less resinous. Leaves 3-6 inches long, two-thirds as wide, 

 densely white-tomentose when young, at length dark green on 

 the upper side, lighter beneath* and smooth except along the 

 veins ; outline ovate, wavy-toothed ; base heart-shaped, lobes 

 often over-lapping ; apex obtuse ; leafstalk long, round, downy ; 

 stipules soon falling. 



Inflorescence. April to May. Sterile catkins when expanded 

 3-4 inches long, at length pendent ; scales cut into irregular divi- 

 sions, reddish ; stamens numerous, anthers oblong, dark red : 

 fertile catkins spreading, few and loosely flowered, giadually 



